Nongshim RedForce failed to lift the trophy at the HoK Invitational S3. Despite this, the team is proud of their progress.
South Korean squad Nongshim RedForce fell short of lifting the trophy as they failed to trump NOVA Esports in the grand final of Honor of Kings Invitational S3.
HoK Invitational S3 Grand Final - NOVA vs NS
The Honor of Kings Invitational S3 held in the Philippines between Malaysian-Chinese NOVA Esports and South Korea's Nongshim RedForce was a back-and-forth best-of-seven match that went the distance.
NS took the series opener, but NOVA quickly pulled ahead with two consecutive wins, including a swift 10-minute win in game 3. The South Korean team answered with two back-to-back wins of their own, and we officially had a series on our hands.
With the series now sitting at 3-2 and Nongshim in the lead, NOVA Esports once again found themselves on the back foot. Nevertheless, they did not falter. They took game 6 and forced the Ultimate Battle in game 7.
Ultimate Battle - NS vs NOVA
The Ultimate Battle picks resulted in two mirror matches: Augran and Mai Shiranui. This match ended up being the second-longest game in the series, clocking in at 18 minutes and 41 seconds. NOVA rode their momentum from the past game's win, as well as their constant offensive playstyle, to bring themselves the series win and the trophy lift.
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Nongshim RedForce on HoK Invitational S3 finish: Beyond expectations
Despite the loss and grueling series, Nongshim RedForce stayed in high spirits. Bot laner Lee "SIRI" Hoon-min said, "I was surprised by my [own] improvement. We will continue to grow and improve to be a stronger team. As a team, [the second place finish] was beyond any of our expectations."
NS took down all three teams from the home country. Rough World Era was the team that didn't make it out of their group, they took down Elevate in a seven-game series in the quarterfinals, and even successfully mounted a reverse sweep against Blacklist International.
Coach Jang "YK" Hyung-joon and support You "Fey" Min-gyu are both hopeful that Honor of Kings, and mobile gaming in general, will grow more popular in South Korea.
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